fyzygy

Volumes 1 and 2 show up in this list -- https://book4you.org/s/medicinal plants world

I have read (online?) that many chocolate products (including cacao nibs) contain elevated levels of cadmium. I don't know whether it's that cadmium contamination, or some intrinsic property of Theobroma itself, that makes it "beneficial to health in small amounts and detrimental in large amounts...." (Herbs and Natural Supplements: An Evidence-Based Approach, 2015). This same source declares chocolate products to be "extremely safe" although allergies, adverse interactions etc. have been documented. This textbook lists numerous potential clinical benefits of Theobroma -- but it doesn't mention any sleep studies. The science is far from conclusive, but "trials suggest that effective doses are approximately 40–100 g dark chocolate or 15–30 g cocoa powder, providing approximately 200–500 mg polyphenols." That's quite a lot of chocolate; I'm not sure how many cacao nibs. But it is perhaps worth noting that cacao is traditionally consumed in heroic quantities, for ceremonial purposes. How long is a piece of string?

Cacti were another area of emphasis (Burbank released more than 63 cultivars) from the spineless fruiting and forage types (Opuntia ficus-indica, O. tuna, O. vulgaris) to flowering ornamentals such as O. basilaris, Cereus chilensis, and Echinopsis mulleri. Interest in cacti during 1909–15 rivaled the Dutch Tulip mania with exorbitant fees for a single “slab” of a cultivar, speculative investments, controversy with noted cacti specialists (particularly David Griffiths), and lawsuits by The Burbank Company. Although most cultivars have been lost, Burbank’s reputation as the Father of American Ornamental Breeding remains admirable from critics and devotees alike. https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/50/2/article-p161.xml

Melting in the shade ...

Scarlet Dragon's post reminded me that Hamilton's Pharmacopeia includes an excellent episode on Kratom. From memory, Hamilton talks to scientists studying the behavioural differences (in mice) under opioids, versus kratom. And he treks into the jungle (under armed paramilitary escort), finding a strand of increasingly rare kratom trees to film. Sad, bizarre, true. He meets farmers, kids mixing kratom with cough syrup (take that, Big Pharma) and so on, well worth checking out. It's hard to believe that nobody in Australia would be growing this threatened species. ?

Germination rate ... is the end user's responsibility. I've found.

Certain acacias are liable to out-perform endemic species, including other acacias. Perhaps the same could be said for some imported jungle vines? Personally, I'd happily endorse an Acacia phlebophylla conservation project. Or peyote. Etc. Arguably, those endangered species deserve more of a global distribution, and few would decline the opportunity to participate. That said, seed of any plant could be responsibly distributed with a suitably worded disclaimer outlining the (legal, ecological) risks. The "conservation" aspect is strongly in EGA's interest, in terms of *prospective* future funding. There, I said it.

Happy Birthday Glaukus

A. longifolia was the seed supplier's best guess.

Apart from Chico and Monterey (Tapuna class – bred for extreme hardiness, with paler, somewhat circular slabs), Burbank’s 1912 catalogue also lists Fresno and Santa Rosa (Ficus Indica class – bred for larger fruit and slabs) as spineless Opuntias. Santa Rosa is a rapid grower, prolific, slabs fat, dark green, 2’ long by 10” wide. Think that's the one I saw yesterday. Burbank’s own trademarked varieties were propagated from cutting, never from seed. (It is unclear whether or not his varieties are self-sterile). In 1912 he wrote, in relation to his spineless opuntias: “the name ‘Burbank’ has been so indiscriminately and fraudulently used that it has in a measure lost its true significance.”

This could even be it ...? occasional single spine, minus the usual glochids. Whether or not it's a "true Burbank," definitely a keeper. I found it just now on public land a short stroll from my house.

A note I found in one of Luther Burbank's books ... warning against cheap imitations. Written 100+ years ago, long before eBay.

Looking for a viable chunk, pad, seedling or seed. Buy or trade.

A victory for frogs, maybe. But First Nations' people's rights to practice traditional culture and cosmology? (Imagine if it had been an Indigenous folk remedy that were banned -- on stolen land. Absurd.) Ultimately, the imposition of this ban (like most TGA determinations) is about the exercise of authoritarian control -- another feather in the cap of western medico-legal expertise -- to the exclusion of other ways of knowing. I doubt that anyone at the TGA is genuinely concerned for the health of vulnerable people (least of all Yamanawa natives, many of whom may be directly targeted by this prohibition -- i.e. discriminated against). Arguably the real danger of kambo is not the substance per se, but its use in non-traditional social contexts: Joaquim Luz, a Yamanawa leader, criticized commercial sales and kambo's use without the preparation or permission of indigenous peoples, saying that the toxin users are at risk of death. ... Other native groups have also expressed concerns.... (from Wikipedia) Let me hazard a wild guess: Kambo is currently subject to western intellectual property claims, or at the very least scientific research, in order to facilitate the inevitable transfer of the wealth of Indigenous knowledge to its proper custodians, Big Pharma. The TGA is merely playing its part as handmaiden to biomedical industry.

A few different hybrids (???) all from the same batch of seed (as shown in black pots). This batch germinated *much faster* than previous year's (pink pot). Pink pot is 1 year older than black. But all from identical source plant/s. The "hybrids" batch started sprouting in the fridge after only a few weeks, whereas the previous batch hadn't even after several months. Of the new batch, one pair of obvious hybrids grew so fast they had to leave the greenhouse early (super-long phyllodes, pictured at front and right). The two at the back resemble more the one in the pink pot, in terms of colour, shape, growth rate. The small pot in the centre holds a few stragglers, could be something different again.